Scotland-India research collaboration delivers clean water for primary schools

"We have an obligation to reach out to the world with our expertise to help others, to improve lives and advance our understanding of how to manage water sustainably, both now and in response to future challenges"

Primary school students will benefit from wastewater treatment and clean water at their school in India thanks to a joint project led by the James Hutton Institute and funded by the Scottish Government.

While visiting India, Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney welcomed the pioneering sanitation system to improve conditions for 206 pupils and 10 staff at Berambadi Primary School in Karnataka.

The project is the result of collaboration between Scottish and Indian water and social scientists to deliver a low-cost wastewater treatment system for rural schools in India.

The system is designed to be easily adapted to different sites and conditions, meaning more schools and communities will benefit from the project.

As he met Scottish and Indian academics involved in the project, Mr Swinney said: "Clean water is vital for a good quality of life and we want to be a world leader in the responsible management of our most critical resource.

"We have an obligation to reach out to the world with our expertise to help others, to improve lives and advance our understanding of how to manage water sustainably, both now and in response to future challenges.

"This wastewater treatment system here at Berambadi is designed to recover resources, improve public health and safeguard the environment. I am pleased this system has been implemented with the local community in mind and in a low-cost, sustainable way."

The James Hutton Institute led the project along with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Science, the University of Glasgow, environmental non-profit the Ashoka Trust, and staff of the school.

Dr Rachel Helliwell, Project Coordinator and Senior Research Scientist at the James Hutton Institute, said: "This initiative is hugely exciting because it integrates social science and new technologies to deliver on an ambitious and important Sustainable Development Goal: providing clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

"We are glad to count on the support of the Scottish Government through the Hydro Nation International Programme, as well as the close input of our partners at the University of Glasgow, the Indian Institute of Science, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment and the local community."

The Hydro Nation International Programme promotes Scotland's response to key global water challenges, and already supports an international fellowship programme. The programme provides high-quality PhD training to deliver the water leaders of the future, bridge gaps in global water knowledge and enhance Scottish capacity in areas of existing research excellence.